I Won't Let Them Hurt You
by vraymartin
Summary: Andromeda Black has been acting... off and Ted is going to get to the bottom of it.


It was a known fact that Ted Tonks didn't know a lot. He didn't know a lot about the wizarding world, at least not as much as the purebloods or half-bloods. He didn't know a lot about Defense Against the Dark Arts. And he certainly didn't know a lot about witches.

Andromeda Black, the Slytherin Princess all his Hufflepuff friends loved to hate, wasn't paying Ted the time of day. It hurt, of course, it did. When wouldn't it hurt when your secret girlfriend, who was basically raised on the principle to hate your very being, just decided to ignore you.

Ted didn't know a lot, but he knew his pain was valid.

It took days for Andromeda to look at Ted square in the eye, and when she did, it didn't take Ted long to notice the tears. Within seconds, that pain dwindled and it was quickly replaced with worry.

Ted didn't know a lot about Andromeda's family. He knew just enough for his survival at Hogwarts. He knew to stay away from Bellatrix and Narcissa. He knew they all hated him for his blood lineage or lack thereof. And he knew that when their Hogwarts days were over, Andromeda would be married off to some bastard that was likely one of her cousins.

Another thing he knows, so well that it's imprinted to his brain, that if her family ever found out about their relationship, it'd all be over and no one would be spared immunity.

He tried to get her attention, but every time he saw her, she was with her housemates. Whenever he tried to pass her a note, the teacher would come at that exact moment and wouldn't leave. A week came by and went along with Ted's failed attempts. The feeling of defeat washed over him at a fifth failed attempt.

He was going to take the sixth day and decide whether he was going to give up or come up with a new plan, but then the sound of a woman's crying broke him out of his concentration. He ran into the woman's bathroom and it didn't take him long to find Andromeda curled against the wall, her head buried in arms. He ran to her and slowly crouched down.

"Andromeda..."

"No!" It's a quiet murmur at first, but slowly her voice projects, "No, no, no, no. Go! Get out of here!" Tears stream down her face like rain during a hurricane. Her skin surrounding her nose and cheeks are ghastly red, a color her sisters often made fun of Weasley for when he himself blushed.

Her voice is tight as she struggles to breathe. Ted doesn't listen as he crotches down lower. He runs a hand over her back, soothing her crying.

"What's wrong, Dromeda?"

Andromeda's walls quickly come crashing down and she buries her face into his shoulders. She mumbles a first, and it takes Ted a moment to understand what she's saying.

"They're going to kill me."

Ted grabs her face and gently looks into her eyes. A million different questions swarm his head and he feels like someone just stabbed his heart with a sword.

"Are they having you marry-"

Andromeda shakes her head. "No. I mean yes, but not for a couple more months. That's not why..."

"Than what is it, Andromeda? I don't like playing games. Spit it out." He was ready for her to just break his heart. She doesn't have to drag it out and make his pain worse.

Andromeda flinches at his use of her full name but swallows whatever it was she was going to say. She takes a few deep breathes and then moves a few stray strands of hair out of his eyes. The valley of tears continue to flow down her face, but the current has slowed.

"Most girls usually have a really cute way of doing this, and here I am, telling you in the girl's restroom looking like a hazard. Pitiful, huh?"

Ted doesn't respond. He's too confused to ask any questions. With a newfound urgency, Andromeda takes hold of Ted's hand and spits it all out.

"I'm pregnant."

The world ends slowly as Ted tries to figure out the meaning of those two words. It hits him like a freit train, but no pain comes from it. His body goes numb and for a few seconds, he can't move.

Andromeda watches him closely as regret slowly settles within her bones and all sense of hope leaves her body. She gets up to leave, not wanting him to see her cry. It's one thing to cry in front of him because of her circumstances, but it's another thing when he's the reason for her tears.

Realization doesn't hit him until Andromeda's halfway out the exit and is about to slam the door behind her.

He walks to her with a newfound urgency and just barely makes it before the door slams in his face. He grabs Andromeda's shoulder and engulfs her in a hug.

Andromeda doesn't say anything and her arms stay stiff by her side. She pulls back, wanting to get away before the dam within her eyes broke. His grip won't let her go and she starts to pound against his chest.

"Let me go." She says it over and over again and with every mutter, her fight slowly dwindles. She falls to the ground not caring that anyone could stumble upon them and start a fire fueled by gossip.

"It'll be okay. It'll all be okay. I promise. Nothing bad is going to happen."

"If they find out..."

"The wedding will be canceled."

Andromeda nods, "And I'll be dead. There's nothing I can do to hide this. I tried to think of something, but there's nothing. They're going to find out and... and..." Another pang of hurt hit Ted's heart when he heard that Andromeda was planning some scheme to go along with the marriage. He tried to put his thoughts into words, but nothing translates. Andromeda watches him with teary eyes and Ted knows she wants him to say something, but he can't. After several moments, he's able to string a few words together.

"You were going to go along with the wedding?" There's no hiding the pain etched in his tone, and even if Ted wanted to hide it, he wouldn't be able to. His baby, being raised by another man, while he himself would be long forgotten. His eyes begin to water.

"Ted, that's not what I meant," Andromeda says. She reaches out for his shoulder but he shrugs her away.

He shakes his head, letting his hair fall into his eyes so he doesn't have to look at her.

"I promise Ted. I would never do anything with the sole purpose to hurt you. But at the end of the day, my number one priority is to protect my child and if that means hiding my pregnancy and marrying Sebastian, then so be it."

Ted nods, but he doesn't look at her.

"Yeah," he mutters, "I get that." The anger slowly starts to fade but the pain remains. By the time he's able to look Andromeda in the eye, she's in his arms, buried in his chest.

"What should we do?" Ted whispers. Doubts fill his head as he's slowly brought back down to earth and the severity of the situation looms overhead. They're seventeen, in their final year at Hogwarts. It'd already be hard for Ted to get a good job with his blood status. When it's announced that Andromeda, a pureblood, is pregnant with his baby, neither of them will be able to get a job in the Wizarding World, and even if they could, danger would be lurking behind every corner.

Andromeda must have seen the look of worry plastered on Ted's face. Gently, she holds his face with her cold hands and looks into his eyes.

"It'll be okay," she whispers, "If we have to, we can get a muggle job and-"

"Do you know how the muggle world operates?"

"Well no, but I can learn." She kisses his forehead, and then his cheek, until finally finding his lips. "We'll figure it out."

Ted nods before burying his head into her neck. He starts thinking back over something she said. "I won't let them hurt you."

Andromeda takes in a deep breath and pulls away.

"I won't let them hurt you either."


End file.
